


oh, the reckoning begins

by larkspear



Category: RWBY
Genre: Background Arkos, Body Horror, F/F, Horror AU, Magic AU, Multi, Mythology References, Other, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Western AU, background renora, brief blacksun with bumbleby endgame, i guess brief schneekos if you count weiss' crush, i guess this counts as beehaw, mentions of past abuse/alcoholism but mostly where you'd expect, western/supernatural/horror au what can i say
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 19:58:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19069615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larkspear/pseuds/larkspear
Summary: Beacon's a good place to start a new life. As long as you've got a horse and a gun, nobody cares if you're a werewolf or a vampire or how many secrets you're hiding.It's just too bad that Beacon is haunted.(western/supernatural/horror au)





	oh, the reckoning begins

**Author's Note:**

> do you like westerns? do you like supernatural creatures like werewolves and vampires? do you like horror? do you like convoluted mythological references? 
> 
> then congrats, you're exactly who this extremely specific au is for! 
> 
> as a friend of mine recently said, "we needed some more horror in the fandom"

_I tried to warn you when you were a child_  
_I told you not to get lost in the wild_  
_I sent omens and all kinds of signs_ _  
_ _I taught you melodies, poems, and rhymes_

 _Oh, you fool, there are rules, I am coming for you_  
_You can run but you can't escape_  
_Darkness brings evil things, oh, the reckoning begins_ _  
_ _You will open the yawning grave_

\- The Yawning Grave, Lord Huron

 

* * *

 

Beacon, they say, is a place of second chances. A town that asks no questions and gives no answers, always ready to chew up and spit out whatever hopeless wanderer stumbles in. But for wannabe Huntresses, it's the best place to build a reputation. There's always Grimm at Beacon.

And that's why Blake is going there. Yes. To become a Huntress. Because a Huntress can do some good without anyone asking why she always carries a weapon, or where she came from, or why she holds herself like Grimm are about to burst in at any moment. It's a second chance.

But she's not there yet.

Her horse has begun to slow her pace along the trail. The road from Vale to Beacon is wide and well-trodden, plenty dry at this time of year, but it's still a long road and they've been travelling all day. The sun is starting to sink behind the distant mountains. And only one of them can see in the dark.

So Blake veers off the trail and up along a small ridge. Up here, she'll be able to see anyone coming along the road. She slides off her trail-companion and pats her black-furred shoulders. Grani huffs at her and drops her head to graze at the grass nearby.

The rest of the evening passes uneventfully. Blake opts not to make a fire - it's not too cold here, and she prefers to stay in the darkness. She camps beneath the shelter of a large tree, passing time by gazing out over the rolling hills and sparse forest. As night falls, the only passersby are wild animals in the distance. She hears wolves howling almost too close for comfort, but they never appear.

A long while after moon rise, when she's half asleep, something finally happens. The distant noise of hoof beats rouses her from her dozing. Blake finds a spot to crouch low on the edge of the ridge and watch the rider pass.

The first thing she notices is the horse: a beautiful white steed, one of those Atlesian breeds with a refined skull and high tail carriage. And the horse's rider matches, with a fine white and blue coat and a long ponytail of white hair that shines almost like ice. A silver rapier sits on her hip and catches in the moonlight.

Following behind her are a couple of warmbloods with riders not nearly as dressed to the nines, but still clearly well-dressed. Servants, probably. Especially considering the Schnee insignia on the back of the leader's coat.

Blake scowls. What's a _Schnee_ doing on the road to Beacon? She reaches down into her magic to blend deeper into the shadows so they won't notice her.

While she's contemplating that, a dark blur shoots out of the underbrush and skitters across the road just in front of the Schnee. Her horse spooks and almost rears. Between the commotion Blake can see the animal stopped dead in the tracks and staring at the startled horse. The Schnee tries desperately to calm her horse, yelling and waving at the animal to get it to shoo. Eventually it runs off and the Schnee sets off at nearly a gallop, her attendants struggling to catch up.

Blake almost laughs. She bites her lip to stay quiet... until the feeling of being watched overwhelms her. Which is weird, she's hidden herself away and most animals spook at the magic enough to leave her alone. Maybe Grimm? Blake scans trail and surrounding wilderness for any signs.

What she sees is the creature that spooked the Schnee horse, standing still in the open field beside the trail. Without the horses and panicked riders, Blake can see it's some kind of wolf, though larger than any natural one she's ever seen. Its fur is dark, maybe black, and its eyes shine like fragments of the moon. And it is _staring right at her_.

Blake freezes and stares right back. The wolf doesn't move. A second wolf emerges and trots over to its companion. If anything, this wolf is bigger, with a pale and wild coat. It turns to stare at her too, and even from here she can tell its eyes are lilac like wildflowers. How... odd.

Then the larger wolf bumps its muzzle against the smaller one, which is met by an attempt to nip each other's ears. They both turn away as if Blake was never there and head east, disappearing into the darkness.

Blake doesn't sleep for the rest of the night.

 

* * *

 

The dawn arrives and so does Blake, having risen early and burned the last few miles of road into Beacon. And while she hadn't expected a bustling city, it's sleepy in the morning. Beacon's a surprisingly quaint town, save for the impressive clock tower at the far end of town. The main boulevard leading to it is even brick paved.

Her first stop is the stables. If she's going to be here for any amount of time, Grani deserves some better lodging than a hitching post. To Blake's pleasant surprise, the stable keeper is a faunus woman only a few years older than her.

"New in town?" The woman asks as Blake leads Grani in.

"Yes," Blake replies, only a little bit hesitant. "I was... hoping to find some work. Some hunting work."

"Well, you've come to the right place." She takes Grani's reigns gentle and pats her nose. "The local tavern and inn has job listings and rooms to rent, if you need somewhere to start."

"Thank you." Tension she didn't even know she was holding melts away. It's becoming real. "That helps a lot."

The woman nods. "I'm Velvet, by the way. If anyone gives you trouble-" She glances briefly at Blake's bow, "-I'm always here. I know the sheriff well."

Her fingers twitch as she tries to resist the urge to fix her bow. Is it that obvious? Still, she recognizes the kindness in Velvet's offer. "I'll keep that in mind," she says appreciatively, "...I'm Blake."

They chat for a little bit longer while Velvet takes off Grani's tack. Blake learns where the weaponsmith is, where the Dust shop is, where the doctor is and how to stay in her good graces, and who to avoid. It's a much warmer welcome than she expected, but she's not going to overstay with welcome. Blake thanks her, pats Grani, and goes to leave.

"Oh, and Blake," Velvet calls after her. "Just, um... don't go out alone at night, okay?"

"There's high Grimm activity here, I know," Blake replies. "But I appreciate the warning."

"Sure, it's just... it's been worse than usual," Velvet simply replies. "Be careful."

 

* * *

 

The Badge and the Burden is located off of the main street, not too far from the clock tower. Being a combination tavern and inn, it's larger than most inns or taverns she's seen in other towns. But Beacon is no normal town.

Blake pauses at the door, running her fingers along a carving in the wood. She follows the shape of a rune, crackling with old and gentle magic. It looks like _jera_ , probably for hearth, but the exact meanings of these runes are mostly forgotten. Instead, it serves more as a welcome sign for anyone or anything of magic.

After all, almost everyone inclined to hunting has _some_ kind of magic.

The door creaks as she pushes it open. A few patrons glance up in the darkness of the room, but otherwise ignore her. If Blake was worried her ornate but worn outfit would stick out here, she's not worried anymore. Everyone else is dressed in colorful and unusual outfits. It's part of hunting, she guesses. Only in this town would nobody pay any mind of the stranger in the long black coat and shiny bow.

Nobody except for the bartender. He's shortish older man with bushy grey hair and mustache, with a nice red coat. "Welcome!" He booms, and it feels like it shakes the room, but nobody else looks up. She smiles and nods and otherwise avoids everyone's eyes. Even so, she assesses the room.

In one corner, there's a pair about her age. A bubbly girl with red air who practically crackles with energy, and the black-haired boy next to her who radiates calm. Maybe they cancel each other out? There's also a full table near the front, filled with a bunch of guys that match Velvet's description of "Cardin and his group". Blake avoids their eyes. There's also some blond boy looking over a few papers and sighing. Nobody really interests her.

What she's really looking for is against the far wall by the staircase. Or, rather, it _is_ the wall. Every inch of the worn wood is covered in wanted posted and job flyers. Most of them are Grimm sightings, but there's also an assortment of bounties, and a few miscellaneous jobs. People take what they can get.

Blake lingers on one in the corner, asking for a ranch hand to help move some horses, but she passes it up. Sure, she's decent with horses, but she could be a ranch hand anywhere.

Instead she pauses on a hunting job. ‘Missing person - suspected Grimm'. It's at a cabin in the forest just outside town. Blake tears the poster down and folds it neatly into her pocket.

"Oh, that's a popular one!" The barkeeper - she thinks Velvet called him Port - says.

"Excuse me?"

"A few others have already picked up copies of that. No worries!" His mustache moves like he's smiling. "Perhaps you could team up."

 

* * *

 

There's no point in wasting daylight, so Blake goes to get her horse for the mission. Velvet waves to her and goes to fetch Grani, leaving Blake to wait outside for a few minutes. Which would be fine, except there's a couple of girls perched on the fence next to the stables.

Blake tries to ignore them, but they've got that hunter vibe. One part intrinsic magic she's learned to pick up on, one part chaotic attitude. And they're both watching her.

"Hey there!" One of them chirps. She looks about Blake's age, with a wild mane of golden hair cascading down the back of her leather duster, not even remotely hidden under the hat this sits lopsided on her head. Blake notes the shotgun strapped to her back - everyone in the town carries weapon, Blake's no exception - and the armored gauntlets on her wrists. The girl stops fidgeting with her purple bandanna to watch Blake with just as purple eyes. She's striking, like a mountain lion along a distant ridge. "You new in town?"

"Yes." Even if she's not feeling friendly, she might as well be polite. "Is it that obvious?"

"Kinda," The other one says. She looks a bit younger, definitely shorter. Her outfit is worn and mostly black, save for her billowing red cloak. The hat hanging off her back almost breaks up the shape of a strange, definitely modified sniper rifle. Huh. "There's a lot of new people in town. That always happens when the mountain pass opens up."

"We're not locals," The older one answers before Blake even responds. She grins wide, and for a second Blake thinks her teeth look a little too sharp. "But we come by a lot. So, hey, if no one's said it yet, welcome."

"Thanks," Blake replies, half-turning away. They're an interesting pair, but they're a little much. "You wouldn't be the first."

"Hahh," Golden-hair replies, defeated. "...I like your bow. It's pretty."

"Uh." Blake's ears strain against the bow trying to pin back. She doesn't know how to respond.

The older one looks at red-cloak and shakes her head. "Yeah, she's a lost cause. We'd be better off trying to talk to that girl with the fancy white horse."

"No you wouldn't," Blake replies quickly, her ears _definitely_ trying pin back. "A Schnee is never worth the effort."

"She's actually a Schnee? I thought I saw seeing things!" The older one laughs and elbows her companion. "Neveerrrmind. She'd freeze your fur off."

"Did you pick a mission yet?" The younger one says, tilting her head at Blake. "We're going after that cabin in the woods. Maybe we should team up!"

"I haven't decided yet," Blake lies. Lucky for her, Velvet arrives with Grani a moment later. She nuzzles Blake affectionately, and then lifts her head and flares her nostrils.

"Oh, sorry," The older girls says, hopping off the fence. "Horses don't really like us. We'll get out of your hair."

So they're definitely _something_ , though that doesn't pin much down for Blake. Horses often spook at the more beastly magical folk, or vampires if they're not used to them. These two don't look anything like vampires.

"Good luck hunting," Blake offers automatically as she pulls herself into the saddle.

"There's a library just down the street from the clock tower."

"What?" Blake turns to the girl in the red cloak.

"You just seemed like the kind of person who'd like to know that." The girl shrugs. The thing is, she's not wrong. "So, just in case."

"...Thank you," Blake says, her stomach doing strange flips, and rides off. She feels their eyes on her back as she leaves.

 

* * *

 

Weiss has not been having a good day.

Though it being day actually has nothing to do with it. She taps the red gem on her choker, but the spell within it is still plenty powered up. It should last a couple more days before she needs to renew it. This way, the sunlight only prickles uncomfortably, and even then only when it's direct. She could get a wide-brimmed hat to help with that, but Weiss refuses to look like some cowboy or wannabe-Huntress from the backwoods.

Like those two, with the red cloak and the golden hair, lingering around the Dust shop. Ugh, stake her if she ever ends up like those two. Hrimfaxi snorts as if agreeing with her. Weiss smiles and pats his neck. "Good boy," She coos.

The poor thing. After that mangy mutt spooked him last night, he deserves far better than the simplistic stables in this town. She'll complete her first mission and then, surely, an experienced Huntsman or Huntress will notice and offer to board him at their private stables. Or something. In the meantime, she sent her attendants off to find some suitable lodging.

For the time being, she finds a spot near some grass to hitch him and tend to him. After all, she needs some time before she can brace herself to enter that dingy tavern. So she pulls out a brush from her bags and begins the careful process of cleaning his white fur until it's practically shimmering.

Halfway through brushing his flank, Hrimfaxi starts stomping one of his forehooves and pins his ears back. Weiss pauses and immediately pulls away. He's not usually this touchy around _her_. Of course, she gets her answer quickly.

"Howdy," Some boy says behind her. Weiss turns very slowly and very purposefully to glare at him. His mess of blond hair is almost hidden by a too-large hat, which goes with him farm boy look but not the archaic armor he wears over it. Plus, he smells entirely mortal, and human to boot. "That's, uh, a pretty horse you got."

"Yes," Weiss turns to pat Hrimfaxi's neck to try and calm him.

"... Anyway, I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc." His grin is trying to be charming. It's not. "Aaaand you must be Weiss Schnee. I'm a Huntsman, you know, so if you ever need any help with anything I am happy to assist you. Ma'am."

Weiss' look couldn't be flatter if she ran it over. "You are not a Huntsman. You wouldn't be here if you were. You're just trying to make a name for yourself. Like the _rest of us_." She sniffs. "Not that some of you will make it."

Jaune rubs the back of his neck. "Okay, well, yes, but... Oh, I got it! In that case, why don't we team up-"

"Shut up. Shut up for a second." There's a shift in magic in the air. Weiss turns to peer down the main street.

Marching down the street is someone Weiss couldn't have dreamed of meeting. And she's just like how the songs describe her: a red mane of hair spilling over her back in a ponytail. Polished golden armor ancient and striking against dyed leather. The gold-plated spear and shield clipped to her back. And as she walks, undisturbed, rare magic radiates off of her like sunlight.

It's a good thing Weiss doesn't need to breath, or that would've taken her breath away.

"...Is that someone important?" Jaune asks. Weiss manages to pulls her eyes away to gawk at him.

"You don't know who that is? That's Pyrrha Nikos!" He just blinks at her. "The best shot in all of Mistral? The pride of Argus? The legendary unicorn of the golden horn?" When Jaune is still blinking blankly at her, Weiss throws up her arms in defeat. "She took down Pumpkin Pete!"

"That was her?!" Jaune gasps. "They wrote a song about that! They only do that legends and celebrities!"

"It was pretty cool," Pyrrha says, and _how did she not notice Pyrrha walking over_. She's right here.

"It was nothing less than I'd expect of someone so extraordinary," Weiss offers with a smile. "You deserve a team who matches up to your capabilities, so perhaps-"

"Weeell, I can maybe make some room on Team Jaune for you, if you ask nicely," Jaune grins at Pyrrha. And Pyrrha, inexplicably, _giggles_.

"Only maybe?"

"Spots are filling up fast."

"Let me know if you need any _real_ help," Weiss snaps, and Pyrrha switches back to a polite smile. But she's still watching Jaune.

Having witnesses the greatest mystery and frustration of her life, Weiss huffs and unties her horse. She starts to lead him towards the tavern, abandoning whatever's going on here. She'll just have to find another way to win over Pyrrha. Perhaps proving herself _singlehandedly_ on whatever mission she picks up first is a good start. Hrimfraxi snorts his agreement.

 

* * *

 

The nice thing about the forest is that you can shift without any hesitation. Not that Beacon's the kind of town that will shoot you on sight for it, but it still spooks the newer people and most of the horses. Dad always told them to wait until they're past the edge of town to shift, it's just polite.

Besides, nothing beats running through the forest on all four paws. It's one of Ruby's favorite things. The wind ripples through her fur and the scents of the wild fill her nose. Wet dirt and fresh fallen leaves, the turkeys she spooked a few yards back, the faint smell of distant charcoal and the ever-present sting of dark magic...

Wait, charcoal, that probably means she's getting close. Ruby turns and heads up a hill, scrambling over a fallen log. She pauses at the top of a slope and lifts her nose to the wind. When she follows the smell, she can just barely see a cabin off past some distant trees. This is a perfect vantage point.

Ruby shifts back, slowly this time because she can afford it. It's one of the few things she prefers to take slow but often doesn't have the time to.She rolls her shoulders as the fur melts away and her cloak replaces it. Once she's all the way back, she climbs into a nearby tree and balances on a low-hanging branch. Ruby pulls Crescent Rose from where it's slung across her back, and raises it to peer down the scope.

The cabin's a bit hard to see between the trees, but Ruby can just make out enough of it. There's not smoke rising from the chimney, so it doesn't seem like anyone's home. The wood is kinda worn and decaying anyway, so it's hard to tell from here if it was always that rundown looking or if it's actually been damaged. The roof almost looks like...

A flash of white passes in front of her and she loses her balance. She tumbles off the branch and down the slope, remembering just in time to activate one of the defenses spells Dad taught her. Ruby lands halfway down the slope with an "Oof!" along with the twigs and leaves she's accumulated.

She's landed at someone's feet. Ruby looks up. The stranger with white hair looks down. Her scent's super faint, like fallen snow. No wonder Ruby didn't scent her coming.

"...Hi," Ruby says. She gets to her feet, checks that Crescent Rose is still in one piece, and then brushes the leaves off her skirt. Now that she gets a better look at her, this girl is _fancy_. Like, crisp white and blue jacket with silver buttons, a choker around her neck clasped by a red gem and a white ruffle underneath. Wow, is that a crown in her ponytail? That sword at her belt looks cool, neatly polished and sparkling in the sun. Actually, _all_ of her kind of sparkles in the sun.

"What are you doing?" The other girl snaps. "You could've alerted everything within a mile of where we are! Who knows how many Grimm are out here?"

"What are _you_ doing?" Ruby snaps back. "I was scoping this place out and you stumbled right into my sights! I only fell ‘cause I was startled!"

"This place?" Snow-hair frowns and narrows her icy blue eyes. "We're just in the middle of the forest."

"The cabin's down that way." Ruby points. "That's why you're here, right?"

The other girl looks where she points, frowns, and then back at Ruby. "...It's that way?"

Okay. This is fine. Ruby sighs and rubs her head, trying to think of what Yang would say. Make friends. They'd agreed to try and team up with anyone on the same mission. So Ruby gathers herself up and smiles. "Let me start over. Hi! My name's Ruby. Ruby Rose. Are you on that cabin mission too? Maybe we could team up!"

"I _am_ on the cabin mission, but I do _not_ need any help," The strange girl huffs. "And if you must know, my name is Weiss."

"It's nice to meet you, Weiss," Ruby curtsies because Weiss looks fancy and that's what you're supposed to do around fancy ladies. Even girls from Patch curtsy to girls with Atlesian purebred horses. "And don't think of it like help, more like... If we're all on the same mission, there's no point in competing with each other, right? And this way we can get it done quicker."

"...So that nobody else can beat us to it."

"And help whoever needs it but, yeah. Yeah, exactly." Ruby shrugs. "Besides, I'm a totally great at sniping, and a GREAT tracker. Probably the best in this whole town." She taps the side of her nose. "You'll see me do my thing and you'll be like, ‘Whoa, that Ruby girl is sooo cool and I totally wanna be her friend'."

"As if." Weiss crosses her arms, but looks over Ruby. "Very well. We'll work together just this one time. And only because there's so much competition, so don't get again ideas."

"Yes!"

"And don't slow me down."

Ruby grins wolfishly so that her slightly-too-pointy teeth are showing. Magic crackles under her skin and she's practically shedding petals already. "Don't worry. I'm _very_ fast."

 

* * *

 

In the end, Blake hangs at the edge of town and waits. She hitches Grani somewhere safe and makes her way up into one of the trees. Then she slips into the shadows and decides to watch. Just as she'd hoped, the two strange girls stroll out about mid-afternoon and head towards the forest. Blake follows them through the shadows of the trees for a bit, until they stop. The two of them have a brief discussion and split off in different directions.

Blake considers as she watches them go. There's no way to follow both. She picks the golden one.

It's hard to say why. The girl with the red cloak was a little more in tune with her, but there's something intriguing about this one. Maybe it's the natural way she'd bantered with the younger one, or how quickly she'd backed off when shut down. Maybe it's because of her natural inclination. She's a shadow, following the sunlight.

They meander deeper into the forest, with the other girl showing no signs of having noticed Blake. They travel until they reach a creek, at which point Blake hangs back and watches. Golden-hair crouches at the bank and pulls out her canteen as if to refill it, the pauses and thinks better of it.

Odd. That water looks practically crystal clear. She can't imagine why it wouldn't be safe to drink. Unless... Blake's spent a while honing her skills to pick up on dark magic, but this whole forest with buzzing with it just under the surface. On second thought, she wouldn't drink the water either.

Her ears twitch. Even muffled through the fabric, she hears the sounds of rustling grass. It's somewhere down by the bank. And there's the feeling in the air that gets the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. Concentrated dark magic. _Grimm_.

The other girl must sense it too, because she looks up. "Is someone there?" She calls. Blake gives her another few seconds to notice, and then begins to draw Gambol Shroud's blade. That apparently alerts the other girl enough that she falls into a defensive position, but Blake isn't paying attention to her anymore. Her ears swivel, best they can under the bow, to pinpoint the Grimm hiding in the grass. _There_.

Blake launches from her perch and pounces on the Grimm. She drives her blade into its head until it passes through and hits dirt. The beast squirms and shrieks, and then falls still. The other girl is still just staring at her, so Blake straightens and lifts the Grimm's corpse on her blade before it disappears again. It's one of those little ones, snakelike and only barely forming teeth and eyes, but just enough to be dangerous. The first ghost of a nightmare.

"I _totally_ knew that was there," The girl with the golden hair says. Blake just smirks as the Grimm disintegrates and blows away.

"Sure," Blake teases. She sheaths her weapon again. "Are you headed to the cabin?"

"That depends. Are you?" Golden-hair grins. "I'm Yang, by the way. Don't think I ever caught your name."

"Blake."

"Okay, Blake." Yang strolls past her, nice and casual, along the treeline. Blake opts to follow. "I was actually checking the outskirts of the perimeter for anything weird. My sister's off checking out the cabin."

 _Sister_. That must have been the other girl. It makes some sense, though they don't look all that much alike.

"Hold on," Blake says, and Yang, already a few steps ahead, pauses to look back at her. Blake fishes out a small vial from one of the pouches on her belts. The salve within is black and glittering. She rubs a small amount on her own wrist, and then holds out her hand for Yang. "This will cloak some of our magic so any other Grimm don't notice us as quickly. We'll have the upper hand on them."

"Ohhh, a masking cream. Smart." Yang steps closer and obediently offers her hand. Blake grips her wrist gently and rubs some of the ointment into her palm. Magic hums under Yang's skin, a bit closer to the surface than most people's. It's a sort of warm buzzing, like a distant fire. Blake's own is like cool water - or that's what she feels when she dips into the shadows, her natural inclination.

"I didn't think Beacon had anyone who made this kind of thing," Yang says. "Did you pick it up in Vale?"

"I made it," Blake admits. "I'm a witch."

"Oh. _Oh_." Yang nods like this explains everything. "With a taste for shadow magic? I _thought_ that was you the other night."

 _The other night_. Blake freezes. She'd first seen Yang this morning, unless... She squints. In the dappled sunlight, Yang's hair looks like gold or flickering flames. But under moonlight, she bet it'd be pale. And Yang's sister had black hair and grey eyes...

"Those wolves were _you_?" Blake looks her over and Yang just smiles. She revises her assessment. Yang is striking like a _wolf_ along a distant ridge. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You do like to stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

"Ouch."

"You know, I don't really like dogs."

"Double ouch."

"But the jury's still out on you," Blake almost smiles. Just for a second. "Are we going scouting or not?"

"I'll take what I can get," Yang shrugs. "But yeah, c'mon. The property keeps going this way..."

 

* * *

 

When they've checked the surrounding area to make sure there's no lurking Grimm or angry homeowners or corpses, Ruby and Weiss finally go to examine the cabin up close. From the back, it'd looked a bit worse for wear, but from the front....

"Oooh, that looks bad," Ruby whines.

"Are those claw marks? On the _roof_?" Weiss tries to mentally measure the size of the claws. Her assessment: big.

"It coulda been a Nevermore, but it's weird..." Ruby shakes her head. "Nevermores usually try to land and use their beaks. This doesn't look like pecking, it looks like..."

"Completely decimated."

"Uh, yeah, whatever that means."

"Let's get a closer look." Weiss walks right up to the cabin, stepping carefully onto the creaking porch. She tries to pull open the door, to no avail. The door frame's caved in.

Ruby turns and walks along the side of the cabin, ignoring whatever Weiss is saying behind her. Sure enough, on the more undamaged side, there's a window. Ruby jumps once and doesn't make it, but the second time she gets high enough to catch the sill and pull herself up. She pulls open the window and wriggles through-

-And the door flies inward with a burst of ice and nearly hits her. Ruby has to fall back on her magic and bolts to the other side of the cabin in a rush of petals. She bumps into one of the half-broken support beams, and bolts the other direction to avoid the subsequent cave-in. Of course, she runs directly into Weiss and they both collapse back on the porch.

"You got in my way!" Weiss yells. "I could have killed you!"

"I noticed!" Ruby shoots back. "I was finding a way in!"

"So was I!" Weiss shoves her off and struggles to her feet. Ruby just rolls along the porch, partially because she's so annoyed she doesn't even want to get up. "If you had listened to me, you would have heard me tell you that I was about to blast the door down!"

"And if you'd thought for two seconds about doing something besides showing off, you would've come to the window with me!" Ruby grudgingly gets to her feet and dusts herself off.

"I wasn't showing off!" Weiss stamps her foot and Ruby half expects to see smoke rising off of her.

"Well I-" Ruby's interrupted by the crash of the cabin caving the rest of the way in. She coughs as the dust clears. "...Okay, so much for that."

"And who's fault is that?"

Ruby just glares. "Do you smell any blood?"

"...What?"

"You're like... a vampire, right?" She waves her hands vaguely, and Weiss crosses her arms. "You can smell that stuff?"

"I'm not _that_ kind of vampire," Weiss huffs. "I'm a magic vampire. You know, from Atlas. We rarely actually drink blood, it's an ineffective form of feeding. And gross."

"...Can you eat Grimm? They're made of magic."

"Ew, what, no! Would _you_ eat Grimm? Is that what you eat, you plant... whatever you are?"

"I'm a werewolf, actually, but thanks." Ruby gives her a flat look. "I didn't smell any blood, but I thought maybe you had a better sense for that than me, but guess not." She kicks a stray chunk of wood. " _Now_ what do we do?"

"Obviously the residents were attacked by Grimm. So now we need to track down the Grimm responsible and kill it. Simple."

"Mm." Ruby looks around. "I'll call Yang over, see if she's found anything. Then we can find a high point and see if we can see or sense anything."

"Who-?"

But Ruby's already shifting. She goes fast, this time, letting the transformation pull her body into her other shape. Her natural magic helps speed it up, and disguises the twisting with some petals. That's more for Weiss' sake.

When she's fully wolf again, Ruby shakes herself to free any stray petals from her fur. She hops off the porch and a few paces into the woods, ignoring Weiss' cries of "Hey!". Then she throws her head back and howls.

 

* * *

 

"Dark magic is kind of a terrible name, isn't it?" Yang throws a glance at her new partner as they walk, trying to judge her reaction. She seems just as dark and mysterious as her outfit, but Yang never trusts a first impression. "Like, it's got nothing to do with darkness."

"You're telling me," Blake replies. Her eyes are fixed up ahead.

"They should really call it ‘death magic'- wait, no, because that'd include vampires. Maybe ‘awful evil magic'. Or ‘wow a bunch of people died here magic'. Or ‘no-good stuff magic'."

Blake gives her incredulous look, but Yang catches the hint of a smile.

"Or-" She's cut off by a distant howl. She immediately stops and listens. Yeah, that's definitely Ruby. "Hold on, I gotta answer that."

"Oh."

Yang leans forward and feels the familiar wave of heat ripple along her. The shifting magic changes her as the wave passes along, and in the next moment she lands on all four paws. She wastes no time in throwing back her head and answering Ruby. It's a much shorter howl - she's only acknowledging Ruby's request.

Then she turns to Blake, who is watching her with veiled curiosity. Yang lolls her tongue because it's a little funny, really. She could shift back, but that quick would be a waste of energy and magic. So she paws the animal sign for _follow_ , but Blake just looks at her blankly. Aw, too bad. It's down to super basic communication, then.

Yang bounds towards their destination a few steps, and then stops to look at Blake. She almost drops into a play bow, but they're on a schedule and she's trying to seem cool in front of Blake. So she just whines.

"You can't talk in that form." Yang nods. "But you want me to follow." Yang nods. "Because we're going to see... your sister?" Yang blinks, and then nods enthusiastically.

Blake catches up with her, and Yang makes sure to stay at a slow trot to keep pace with her. "You've got a lot of fur," She comments, and Yang just flicks an ear in her direction. "You better not shed on me."

 

* * *

 

It's not like Weiss hasn't seen a form-shifter before, but it's different to actually see the annoying girl turn into a wolf right in front of her. And since Weiss gathered that they're waiting for someone to show up, she doesn't have anything better to do than sit on the half-destroyed porch and watch Ruby sniff around.

Ruby doesn't look like the wild wolves. She's a bit bigger. But she looks like she blends in perfect with the forest, her dark black fur fading into a pale grey underside. Her fur even looks smooth, except for the tips of her ruff where it turns up and fades, inexplicably, to red. Werewolves and their quirks, Weiss supposes. And her eyes are so much more prominent like this, silver so bright they're almost glowing. Silver just.. like...

"That was _you_!" Weiss yells. "On the road! You scared my horse half to death!"

Ruby yelps and jumps away. She seems to think it over, then slinks closer with lowered ears and a wagging tail. Next thing Weiss knows her paws are on Weiss' knees and Ruby is trying to lick her hand.

Weiss hastily pushes her head away. "No! Do not lick me! You're going to get my dress all dirty-"

A yellow blur bursts out of the bushes and slams into Ruby. Weiss jumps to her feet only to see that it's another wolf, this one with tangled and golden fur. And Ruby and this new wolf are jumping around and practically wrestling. What did Weiss ever do to deserve this?

Someone else steps out of the bushes. A stranger with a long dark coat and a strange black bow stares at her and looks just as confused as Weiss feels. Then her gaze goes past Weiss to the cabin.

"What happened here?"

"Some kind of Grimm attack," Weiss answers, deciding not to include their little mishap. Ruby trots over to her side and gives her a look. "It was in bad shape. I'm sorry, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Black-bow points to tangled-fur. "I'm with her." As if to prove a point, the giant golden wolf sits politely next to this stranger. "And I think those come as a pair, so..."

Weiss rubs the bridge of her nose. It's fine. She can split the reward four ways. It's not like she's in this for the actual reward. So she takes a deep breath and smiles.

"Very well. If we're to work together, I'd like to know each other's names. I'm-"

"Weiss Schnee." She doesn't say it kindly. "I'm Blake. We should keep moving."

Something bumps her hand and Weiss looks down to see Ruby rubbing her head against Weiss' hand. "Alright, yes. Where are we going?"

If wolves could smile, she'd swear Ruby would be grinning from ear to ear.

 

* * *

 

It's a pretty short trip to the top of the cliff Ruby leads them too. Weiss follows behind her, surprisingly quiet. Blake follows behind them, and with Yang taking up the rear of the party.

The treeline falls away at the edge and there's just enough space at the edge for them all to get a good look at the landscape. Ruby raises her nose to the wind. And then she spots something in the sky.

"Look," Blake points. A black shape cresting over the other side of the forest. Definitely some kind of bird.

"That's a big Nevermore," Yang whistles, shifting so suddenly that Weiss almost falls over. Ruby shifts quickly to catch her, but Weiss just huffs and brushes herself off.

They all watch as the Nevermore dips down and disappears against the cliffs on the far side of the forest.

"We could probably make it about halfway there before nightfall," Yang says. "Any of you feel like camping?"

"If it's building a lair there, then it's a good place to catch it," Weiss replies.

"Assuming it doesn't meet us halfway," Blake adds.

"Okay," Ruby says. "Blake and Weiss, you should go get your horses, it's gonna be pretty far. Are they still in town? Yang can pick up any extra supplies we need. I'll double check the cabin and make sure we didn't miss anything." She looks each of them over. "Sound good?"

There's a second and Weiss hesitates, but then sighs and nods. So does Blake, who turns and immediately starts heading back. Yang ruffles Ruby's hair as she passes.

"Don't forget to leave an offering or something," She reminds.

"Yeah, yeah."

"A what?" Weiss stops to look at her. Yang shrugs.

"It's an old superstition," Ruby answers. "If you mess around with a house that belongs to dead people - or probably dead people - you're supposed to leave something for them."

"What a silly superstition."

"Better safe than sorry," Yang says. "Do _you_ wanna risk getting haunted?"

Before they can start arguing, Ruby hops back towards the forest a few paces. "I'll meet you by the creek," She calls back, "Don't take too long!"

Though they will, she bets, if Weiss bickers as much as she thinks and Yang drags her feet like usual. That's fine. That gives her time. Ruby, for once, makes her way back to the cabin slowly. The walk clears her head because sometime it's just nice to be alone.

Along the way she picks what wildflowers she cans. Bluebells and sweet peas and cyclamen until she's got a little bouquet. When she arrives to the ruined cabin, she places it down on the porch (there's not much of a doorway anymore, so this'll do), along with a few dried fruit from her supply. After a moment of consideration, she also puts down a shiny coin and mumbles a "Sorry!". She and Weiss did kind of extra destroy their house.

When Ruby turns around, there's a man standing behind her.

She nearly jumps into her other skin. But okay, he's not standing right behind her, he's like a few yards away and looking out at nothing. He's not even looking at her. But this close, she should've been able to smell him, even in this form.

"Uh." Ruby takes a cautious step closer. "Hello?"

The man turns, and for a second Ruby gets a proper look at him. His hair's all grey but he doesn't look old. His outfit is equal parts black and emerald, a fancy vest and coat with silver buttons that look almost immaculate. He's got some kind of ornate cane and equally ornate spectacles in a style she's never seen. Honestly, it almost reminds her of Weiss' whole fancy antique demeanor. He smells like nothing.

"Oh," He says. He leans towards her. "You have... silver eyes."

"Um." Ruby takes a step back. "Is this your house? I'm sorry, it was kind of falling apart, and then-"

The man blinks up at the ruined cabin. "No. No, it isn't." He looks at Ruby again. "Are you a Huntress?"

"No- I mean, yes, that's why I'm here. I'm Ruby Rose." Because if you wanna be a Huntress, people need to know your name. "Do you need any help? It's pretty dangerous out here, I could walk you back to town, or..."

"Ruby Rose," He repeats slowly. "You're right. It is very dangerous." Then he looks directly at her, almost through her. "What's happened before is happening again."

"What?" Ruby looks around, as if that'll provide some explanation. "What are you-"

But the man is gone, as if he was never there.

 

* * *

 

Compared to that, the rest of their trip is uneventful. Ruby opts to travel by paw so she has an excuse not to talk to anyone. Yang follows suit, though it's hard to tell if she picks up on Ruby's subdued mood, or just thinks it's a good idea. They give Blake and Weiss' horses a careful distance, though it's not like those two talk to each other much.

When the sun begins to set, they make camp in a small clearing. An old fallen log makes for a nice bench in front of the fire, even if it's already half-covered in moss.

Just before dark, Yang goes off to catch them dinner. Blake tags along with her. That's sort of becoming a thing, the two of them following after each other. Not that Ruby has much of a place to judge, considering she's still trying to get Weiss to warm up to her.

Of course, she'd given up after the third time of trying to chat and just giving a snippy response. Ruby's not going to waste _all_ her time on trying to talk to someone who doesn't like her. So instead she pulls out Crescent Rose to tune up, to make sure she's ready for tomorrow's fight.

It's a meditative process. Ruby kneels on the cool grass and spreads out a cloth to rest everything on, then carefully disassembled all the parts that need inspecting and cleaning. There's spells to instantly clean a weapon, or magic mixtures to spread over it to ward off dirt and wear, but nothing beats doing it by hand. She likes to know every inch of it.

Normally it's not something she likes to do in front of other people. Maybe Qrow, or even Yang, but that's different. Here, she doesn't want to make a big deal by sneaking off alone. So the whole time, she feels Weiss' eyes on her back. They're both silent the whole time.

After Ruby reassembles Crescent Rose and packs everything else up, she checks over the rifle to make sure everything is in the right place. Her fingers brush over the inlay designs. The twisting rose thorns, the emblem shares with her mother, and the polished silver-white stone.

"Is that pearl? Or moonstone?" Weiss asks.

"No, it's a moon piece." Ruby takes a seat next to Weiss on the log and tips the rifle so it's easier to see. "My uncle found a fallen chunk when he was travelling and brought it back."

"I thought those were... extremely powerful and dangerous," Weiss leans away a little. "Why would you use it to decorate a rifle?"

Ruby gives her a lopsided grin. "Oh, it's not decorative."

As Weiss watches, she takes a few steps away to get some extra space. She runs a thumb along the moon piece and activates the magical mechanism therein. Metal sheets spring out from the reinforced side of the barrel and rapidly click into place until they reach their final form in a single curved shape, a sliver of the moon. Ruby spins it for good measure and then buried the tip of the blade into the soft ground.

"It's a _scythe_?" Weiss practically gasps.

"My one and only Crescent Rose. My baby." Ruby pulls her scythe close, practically cradling it. Weiss' gaze drops to her own side and Ruby follows it. "What about you?"

From her side, Weiss draws her rapier out. Except, seeing it up close, there's something odd about the base. Ruby returns to her seat and leans over to see. Weiss flicks some kind of mechanism and the chamber pops out.

"Like a revolver!"

"Exactly." Weiss spins it, checking the chambers. "Unfortunately, it only takes dust bullets. But that's still something."

"What its name?"

Weiss blinks at her. "...Myrtenaster."

"That's kind of a mouthful, but still _really really_ cool." Ruby switches Crescent Rose back to its inactive form. It's all she can do not to beam at Weiss' weapon. "I mean it! I just - really like weapons. Yang's no good to talk about this stuff because she's too _practical_ and _direct_ about everything, but I've never had a friend to talk to about this stuff-!"

"We're not friends," Weiss snaps. Ruby closes her mouth and leans back. Given how today's gone, she should've expected this.

What she doesn't expect is Weiss' surprise, or how her expression flickers. Ruby watches as she looks down at her hands. "That is... I know I am not the easiest person to interact or work with. That's been causing us some problems. So I will... try to be slightly more pleasant. I will stop pretending I'm perfect."

"You don't need to be perfect," Ruby counters. "But okay. To be fair, I'll try to hold it against you less." Ruby smirks and Weiss gives her a look. "And listen to you more. Sometimes. Then we'll both be making an effort."

"Okay," Weiss says. She smiles, but it's got a weird false edge to it. Too... practiced. She drops it quickly and settles into just a softer look. "Okay. Then it's agreed."

Weiss holds her hand out to shake, which Ruby thinks is silly, but then her eye catches on Weiss' skin. Which is a little bit weird, but with the fire burning low and the nearly full strength of the moonlight, it glimmers. Of course Weiss is very pale, what else would anyone expect, but in this light... Instead of shaking her hand, Ruby takes it in both her hands and holds it a little closer, examining it like a new gun.

"You sparkle," She practically whispers. Weiss stares at her, but doesn't pull away. "I mean, I noticed before, but it's different at night. Like... new snow. It's kind of-"

The bushes rustle and they both jump back as Yang trots in with a scrawny pheasant in her jaws. She glances between the two of them, and then tosses the bird into the air. Yang catches it with a hand a second later, and yeah she's definitely just showing off how quickly she can shift. Blake steps into camp just behind her, with an armful of miscellaneous plants.

"We gotta teach the Ice Queen here how to tend to a fire," Yang laughs. "Look how low it's gotten."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, do you prefer Princess? Maybe Duchess? How about-"

"I'll do it!" Ruby interrupts quickly, jumping to her feet. She bolts to the pile of firewood they'd collected earlier and bolts back to feed the fire while Yang preps the bird to cook.

Meanwhile, Weiss nods to Blake as she finds her own spot to sit. "What's all that for?"

"Emergency supplies," Blake answers. "I'm making some extra healing salves for the rest of you before tomorrow."

"D'you think we'll really need them?" Ruby takes a seat next to Blake, taking a deep sniff of the air. She tries to memorize the scents of the herbs, in case she ever needs to find them again. Blake scoots a away from her a little.

"‘Better safe than sorry'," Weiss poorly mocks Yang.

" _Hey_ -"

Their bickering is cut off by a noise. Actually, calling it a noise isn't even right. It's a sound so low that it vibrates in their bones before they even hear it. Then it whines higher, reaching the pitch of a dying animal. It holds there, agonizing.

"What," Weiss tries to shout over the din, "is _that_ -"

Without warning it pitches up sharply until it's absolutely piercing. They all wince and hold their heads. Ruby digs her fingers into her scalp as if that'll relieve the sensation of drilling.

And then it just stops. Dead silent.

"Look," Ruby gasps.

On the horizon, along the spine of the mountain range, there's a light. More of a glow, really, pulsating different colors. The light collapses in on itself until it's just red. Just when they think it's fading away, it narrows to a single point and shoots high into the air. A column of pulsating crimson reaching for the moon.

Then it wavers and dissipates and soon they're left in the darkness again.

"What... what was that." Weiss is practically breathless.

"That's... east of Beacon," Blake points out.

"Over by Mountain Glenn," Yang adds. "They, uh... they've been digging over there, for a new railroad or something? Maybe they just... hit a really big Dust pocket."

"I thought there weren't any Dust deposits in those mountains," Weiss counters.

"There's... not..."

None of them speak for the rest of the night. Nobody can think of anything to say.

 

* * *

 

Cinder sits in the boughs of a dying tree choked by mistletoe and watches the chaos unfold beneath her.

Maybe she should have warned her workers on loan that cracking the next layer would probably unleash Grimm. Perhaps that was cruel of her. In her defense, she wasn't certain it would. There was no guarantee that a wave of dark magic would do this. It's not her fault that these goons were so full of negativity and panic that Grimm immediately leaped into form!

Well, maybe calling them Grimm is being generous. They're twisted, half-formed beasts, barely able to pull themselves in two in order to form a mouth. But they still do an admirable job of chasing people around.

Cinder plucks a leaf from the mistletoe and holds it flat in the palm of her hand. She ignites it and counts down until it's ash. Good. Much faster than last time. "We're getting closer," She tells no one.

 _Good_. Someone replies in the back of her mind.

The Grimm part as Cinder hops down. Those that have eyes turn to look at her. Cinder descends the makeshift stairs into the dig site on the side of the mountain. As she reaches the deepest point, little more than a crack in the rocks, she pulls the long gloves she uses to covered her monstrous arm. Cinder reaches into the crevice and presses her hand against the mountain, feeling the heartbeat of magic within.

"Yes. Much closer."

Beneath her, the mountain exhales.

**Author's Note:**

> firstly, don't worry, yang's disability is absolutely going to present. i couldn't bring myself to write an au without it. but since this is canon-parallel, it won't come up for a while. sorry! 
> 
> i'm not abandoning the maiden fic, it might just be a bit slower going
> 
> i know this is a bit... convoluted and bizarre of an au, but i hope you enjoy it anyways! sometimes you've just got to follow your heart and write that indulgent stuff


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